Chapter 12: Vesper the Twilight Hero

Cael Horais Sirius POV

“Are you ready, Cael?” Fragarach asked.

“You can start at any time, Fragarach,” I replied, holding onto Fragarach’s hilt as I lay sideways on the fluffy bed.

The bed was extremely soft compared to my old one. Even the blanket was much thicker, which was great since the room was quite cold. 

The warmth of the blanket made it easy to relax, but I knew I couldn’t afford to fall asleep.

I closed my eyes.

Almost immediately, I felt Fragarach’s thoughts flowing into me.

The sensation was strange at first. It felt as though someone had opened a door inside my mind and allowed an unfamiliar stream of memories to flow through it. 

I could feel fragments of emotions, sensations, and images that didn’t belong to me.

Then I opened my eyes.

The room was gone.

Instead, I found myself standing in what appeared to be a training yard.

A young man with black hair was swinging a wooden sword in front of me. 

His movements were simple, repetitive, and precise. 

Every time the wooden sword came down, it produced a sharp sound as it cut through the air.

And just beside me, an exposed blade leaned against a wall.

“Fragarach,” I muttered.

No one reacted.

I looked around and quickly realized that Aegis was nowhere to be seen.

I see, this is the time when Aegis doesn’t exist, I thought.

My attention returned to the young man.

He continued practicing without interruption, his expression completely focused on the wooden sword in his hands.

So that’s what the first hero looks like, I thought.

I watched him complete another downward slash.

“Ninety-Seven…”

Another swing.

“Ninety-Eight…”

Another.

“Ninety-Nine…”

The wooden sword came down once more.

“One Hundred.”

Vesper stopped.

He took a deep breath before changing his stance.

His center of gravity became much lower as he spread his legs farther apart. His grip on the wooden sword tightened, and his entire body seemed to become more stable.

Then he began another series of swings.

This time, his sword moved horizontally, alternating between left and right.

“One…”

He swung from the left.

“Two…”

Then from the right.

“Three…”

His movements gradually became faster.

Even though he was only using a wooden sword, I could feel the force behind every swing. His body moved together with the weapon, and there was no wasted movement in his technique.

I became curious and activated my skill.

Lesser Eyes of Revelation.

My vision changed as Vesper’s status appeared before me.

E24 PA18 P2S2E2F2.

Vesper Horais Adhara Class E24 Physical Age: 18
Vitality: 1570 + 1573
Psyche: 1570 + 1573
Power: 157 +160
Speed: 157 +160
Endurance: 157 +160
Fortitude: 157 +160

I stared at his status.

Something felt wrong.

I could tell that his Aspect had been doubled thanks to the Hero title, but where was Fragarach’s Aspect?

I should have been able to see the additional Aspect from his bond with Fragarach.

“It’s there,” a familiar voice suddenly said.

“Fragarach,” I said.

“Look at my old self,” Fragarach suggested.

I turned my attention toward the sword leaning against the wall.

G1 PA1 P1S1E1F1.

Fragarach Class G1 Physical Age: 1
Vitality: 30
Psyche: 30
Power: 3
Speed: 3
Endurance: 3
Fortitude: 3

I blinked twice.

That was all?

A newborn human had more total Aspects than this.

“You were that weak?” I asked.

“I wasn’t forged as a strong weapon, but as a weapon that could grow,” Fragarach said.

I looked at the young Fragarach again.

The sword looked ordinary compared to the legendary weapon I knew.

“I’m surprised you didn’t break the first time the hero swung you at his opponent,” I said.

“Hmm… it’s true that I didn’t have a lot of skills back then, but I had one important skill with me when I was forged,” Fragarach said.

“Unbreakable,” I uttered as I tried to remember all of Fragarach’s Extra Skills.

“That’s right. I’m a sword that won’t break,” Fragarach said.

I looked at the sword again.

“But doesn’t a normal weapon give more Aspects?”

“That’s right. In terms of Aspects alone, I’m just a glorified stick with an Unbreakable skill,” Fragarach said.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“But Vesper still chose me over a hundred swords,” Fragarach added.

“He said I was perfect, a one-of-a-kind sword that would eventually become the strongest one,” Fragarach said.

“I see. He is really something,” I commented.

Vesper continued his training as though nothing else existed around him.

After counting up to a hundred horizontal swings, he picked up Fragarach and began counting again.

This time, he followed a specific sequence.

Vertical Upward Slash.

Slanted Upper Right Slash.

Slanted Lower Right Slash.

Slanted Upper Left Slash.

Slanted Lower Left Slash.

Vertical Downward Slash.

Right Horizontal Slash.

Left Horizontal Slash.

Full Clockwise Slash.

Full Counterclockwise Slash.

And Forward Thrust.

Vesper counted one after completing the full rotation before starting again with the Vertical Upward Slash.

The sequence looked simple at first, but the longer I watched him, the more I realized how much control it required.

Every movement flowed into the next.

There was no hesitation between his strikes.

“Fragarach, were you lighter back then?” I asked.

“My total weight never changes,” Fragarach replied.

I looked at Vesper again.

His sweat was already running down his face as the Morning Star continued to rise.

His clothes were completely drenched.

Yet he continued.

Again and again.

Hundreds of swings.

I couldn’t imagine swinging Fragarach several hundred times while maintaining the same posture with those Aspects.

“Did he do this for decades?” I asked.

“Yeah, and he doubled it every five years since he could swing me a lot faster,” Fragarach replied.

I stared at Vesper.

He really was persistent.

“Vesper, the master is calling you,” an unfamiliar female voice called out.

Vesper stopped.

I turned around.

A young woman with long silver hair tied into a ponytail stood nearby.

Her face immediately reminded me of my mother, although her expression was much sterner.

She had a very unfriendly look, I thought.

“Does she remind you of your mom?” Fragarach asked.

“A little.”

“She is Lena Polemistis Adhara, the First Queen of Adhara and the beloved wife of Vesper,” Fragarach said.

The woman crossed her arms.

“Vesper, the master wants to talk to you,” Lena repeated.

Vesper seemed so focused on his training that he had apparently failed to notice her approach.

“Lena! How long have you been there?” Vesper asked.

His eyes immediately changed when he looked at her.

He was clearly captivated by the young maiden.

“You look filthy. At least change into these clothes,” Lena said as she handed him a fresh set of clothes and a towel.

“The master is in the mainyard,” Lena added as she handed Vesper a container that looked like it was holding liquid.

“Thanks, Lena,” Vesper replied.

She nodded before quickly leaving.

I watched her disappear.

“Vesper has a tough life ahead of him,” I commented.

“A tough but happy life. He is a very persistent person,” Fragarach added.

We followed Vesper toward the mainyard.

The moment we arrived, I saw a tough-looking old man standing in the middle of the yard.

He had silver hair and was holding a large wooden sword.

Vesper immediately approached him.

“Master Cid! What can I do for you?” Vesper greeted him.

The old man smiled.

“I’m going to teach you the sword techniques you were asking for a week ago.”

I immediately used Lesser Eyes of Revelation.

Cid Polemistis Adhara
C45 PA45 P3S3E2F2
Vitality: 6200 + ?
Psyche: 6200 + ?
Power: 930 + ?
Speed: 930 + ?
Endurance: 620 + ?
Fortitude: 620 + ?

I stared at his status.

“He’s incredibly strong,” I muttered.

“Is he Lena’s father?” I asked.

“He is Lena’s father and Sword Teacher,” Fragarach replied.

Cid rested the wooden sword against his shoulder.

“That is if you beat Lena,” Master Cid added.

“But she is…”

Vesper didn’t finish his sentence.

Lena suddenly returned and took the large wooden sword from her father.

She looked at Vesper.

“Vesper, if you win, I wouldn’t mind going to town with you once,” Lena said as she took her battle stance.

I immediately checked her status.

Lena Polemistis Adhara
D33 PA16 P2S3E3F2
Vitality: 6270 + ?
Psyche: 4180 + ?
Power: 418 + ?
Speed: 627 + ?
Endurance: 627 + ?
Fortitude: 418 + ?

I looked at the difference between them.

“I don’t think Vesper can win,” I commented.

“He will eventually win,” Fragarach said.

Lena instantly moved.

Her body shot forward as she lunged toward Vesper.

Her wooden sword swept horizontally toward him.

Vesper barely managed to block the attack, but Lena immediately followed with a quick vertical upper-right slanted slash.

Vesper raised his wooden sword again.

The attack struck his weapon and forced him backward.

But Lena didn’t give him a chance to recover.

Her fist shot toward his stomach.

Bang!

The punch landed directly against Vesper’s abdomen.

He was sent sprawling onto the ground.

Vesper coughed as he struggled to breathe.

Lena was already moving again.

She lunged toward him with a Vertical Downward Slash.

Vesper rolled across the ground just before the wooden sword struck the spot where his head had been.

The attack missed.

But Lena immediately followed with a powerful kick.

Vesper raised his wooden sword just in time.

The kick slammed into the wooden blade and sent him flying several meters away.

He landed hard against the ground.

“Are you not going to attack?” Lena asked as she slowly walked toward Vesper.

Vesper remained on the ground for a moment.

Then he smiled.

He planted his wooden sword against the ground and used it to pull himself back to his feet.

His breathing was heavy.

His clothes were covered in dirt.

Yet his eyes were burning fiercely.

It was as if he had already expected this result.

He wasn’t going to give up.

“You’re really strong, Lena,” Vesper said.

Lena continued approaching him.

“But you shouldn’t really belittle me and let your guard down,” Vesper said.

Lena suddenly stopped.

Crack!

Her wooden sword split in half.

I froze.

Vesper was standing behind her.

His wooden sword was pointed directly at her throat.

“What?”

For a brief moment, I couldn’t even understand what had happened.

Then I remembered his Special Skill.

Vital Amplification.

For a moment, Vesper’s Power and Speed had increased tenfold.

The difference was so enormous that Lena couldn’t even react.

“I guess we’re going to town together tomorrow,” Vesper said with a smile.

“Was he just pretending the whole time?” I asked Fragarach.

“He was really losing. His Special Skill, Vital Amplification, takes time to activate.”

Fragarach paused.

“After all, its activation key depends on how much he wants to win,” Fragarach said.

“In short, he needs motivation to use it,” I said.

“That’s right,” Fragarach answered.

Lena simply dropped the remaining piece of her wooden sword.

“It’s my loss. I couldn’t even see you the moment you activated your Special Skill,” Lena said.

She turned around and began walking away.

“I’ll wait for you at the entrance tomorrow after breakfast,” Lena said.

Vesper watched her leave with a satisfied smile.

“Vesper, be sure to return here the day after tomorrow,” Master Cid said as he followed his daughter toward the main house.

Vesper didn’t answer immediately.

He simply sat down on the ground.

His entire body was exhausted, his clothes were filthy, and sweat covered his face.

Yet he was smiling.

I looked at him for a moment.

So this is the first hero.

Before becoming the legendary hero who wielded Fragarach and defeated Fafnir, he was simply a young man who trained until his body could no longer move.

And even then, he still wanted to become stronger.

I glanced at Fragarach.

“You really chose each other,” I said.

“Yeah,” Fragarach replied.

His voice sounded unusually quiet.

“We both started with almost nothing.”

I looked at Vesper again.

He was still sitting on the ground, staring toward the main house where Lena had disappeared.

Despite his exhaustion, he looked happier than ever.

Perhaps that was how the legend began.

Not with a powerful sword.

Not with overwhelming Aspects.

Not with some unbeatable ability.

But with a young man who refused to stop swinging his sword.

And a sword that had been forged with nothing but the ability to never break.

Together, they would eventually become something far greater than either of them could have imagined.